The Darsey family of Albany, led by patriarch Herschel Darsey, is a generous bunch of folks. Recently the Darsey Family Foundation made a donation to Boy Scout Troop 11, which is sponsored by Avalon United Methodist Church of Albany. Eight brand new canoes as well as a transfer trailer now belong to this troop. The boys will no doubt enjoy their time on the water and learn about the environment. Prior to the donation, the troop had to borrow canoes for any outing they wished to take. Boyd Darsey stated that one of the Foundation’s goals is to contribute to a better environment . ‘whether it’s donating recycling bins or giving canoes to the Scouts so they can continue their studies, we try to stick to the motto of ‘leave it cleaner than it was when you got here.’” Much of what the family does for the community goes unheralded, at least by those not yet touched by their generosity. A card that Herschel Darsey has been known to give out says , in part, “Make just one someone happy; Then you will be happy, too.” Yes, the Darseys have a foundation. It is based on family, faith and the future.

Members of the Crime Prevention Community Relations Unit of the Albany Police Department have been working diligently to cut back on the rising criminal activity of entering autos. Officers have visited apartment complexes in an effort to educate residents about what they should do to avoid becoming a victim of theft from their vehicles. Most of the advice is simple. Don’t leave valuables in the car. If you must leave something in your car, make sure it is out of sight. Also, make it a habit to lock your car doors every time, everywhere. The unit went back to locations previously visited and checked to see how seriously the message was taken by looking through the car windows and checking doors, much as someone with stealing on his or her mind would do. Some folks got an ‘A’ while others still need to work on their “clean and lock” habits. Thank you APD for trying to reduce stealing from parked cars in Albany.

Demetrius Love, Albany State University marketing and communications director, wasted no time jumping in to take the empty storefronts left by Riverfront BBQ. Love, who came to Albany in 1993 to play football for the ASU Rams, has made this town his home with his wife and two daughters. When Dale Saunders announced that his restaurant was shutting down, Love announced that it would not be for long. Plans to re-open soon as Riverfront Entertainment District has all the promise of a grand success. Aside from a good business venture, Love believes that good downtown foot traffic will inspire other businesses to locate in the area. Add this young professional’s enthusiasm to that of Downtown Manager Aaron Blair, and step back and watch things happen. Here’s wishing you much success.

Zackariah Holmes will begin a new chapter in his life when he enters Merry Acres Middle School in August. As a fourth grader at Jackson Heights Elementary, the youngster got a perfect score on the math portion of the CRCT. For the school year that just ended, as a fifth grader, Holmes made another perfect score on the CRCT, this time in science. Science teacher, Evangela Dawsey Jones, has 19 years as an educator and has now seen only one student pull off a perfect score in science, that being Holmes. When quizzed about what he likes to do, the young scholar stated that he enjoys basketball, football and reading, especially science and historical fiction. Enjoy your summer and keep up the good work.

In the May 20 primary election, there were people overcame several obstacles to get to the poll. Unfortunately, there were far more people that let the day pass with little, if any, thought to it being an election day. It has been proven over and over and over again, especially in local races, that every vote counts. Here is yet another case where that statement has been proven. In Decatur County, two candidates for a seat on the county commission was so close that it necessitated a recount. The recount validated the first tally. There was a three-vote difference. Three people that took the time to cast a ballot made the difference. Please keep that fact in mind as the July 22 primary run-off approaches.